Shohei Ohtani launched a three-run homer for the Los Angeles Dodgers that punctuated their 8-0 victory over the New York Mets in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday night.
Enrique Hernández hit a two-run shot to make it 4-0 in the sixth inning and waved to the Citi Field crowd he quieted. Los Angeles rebounded from a loss at home and grabbed a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series by pitching their fourth shutout in the past five playoff games.
Ohtani connected in the eighth with a 410ft drive that soared into the second deck in right field and barely stayed fair above the foul pole. Max Muncy went deep in the ninth for his 13th career postseason homer, tying Corey Seager and Justin Turner for the franchise record. Muncy also connected in Game 2.
A fired-up Walker Buehler struck out Francisco Lindor to leave the bases loaded in the second, and the Dodgers got five stingy innings from their hard-throwing bullpen. Buehler combined with four relievers on a four-hitter. Michael Kopech worked a hitless fifth for the win, and Dodgers pitchers finished with 13 strikeouts.
“I said earlier I like pitching in the cold,” Buehler said. “The ball was moving around pretty good for me today. Will [Smith] did a really good job. Shutouts in playoffs don’t come easy, and Will did a really good job.”
Mets starter Luis Severino fell behind 2-0 in the second, partly due to some shoddy fielding. He did not permit an earned run but threw 95 pitches and walked four in 4 2/3 innings, taking the loss.
Slumping Dodgers catcher Smith knocked in a run with an infield single, and Tommy Edman had a sacrifice fly that could have been more if not for a sensational catch on the right-center warning track by Tyrone Taylor.
Ohtani entered Wednesday batting .222 with a homer and five RBIs during his first postseason. The $700m superstar sparked the offense in Game 1 against the Mets, but hadn’t gone deep since hitting a three-run homer early in the Division Series opener. When he connected on an 0-1 cutter from Tylor Megill in the eighth, Ohtani pointed toward the Dodgers dugout. The ball was initially called fair, a ruling that stood following a replay review.
Dating to the regular season, Ohtani has 17 hits and 27 RBIs in his past 20 at-bats with runners in scoring position, including seven home runs. The leadoff hitter is 0 for 22 this postseason with the bases empty. With runners on, he is 7 for 9 with two homers and eight RBIs.
Game 4 is Thursday night in Queens, with rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto scheduled to start for Los Angeles against veteran left-hander Jose Quintana.